Muna Khan
DAWN
The writer is a journalism instructor.
I AM back in the classroom, teaching a news media literacy course at a university, and after two classes, I feel hopeful. Since I began teaching journalism and news media courses eight years ago, there are many changes I’ve been happy to see: more women enrolling in the degree or class. They are always smarter (sorry guys) and more inquisitive, but also sadly, more reluctant to join the news industry.
There are other observations I’d like to share, which I hope will help news media managers and owners with audience insight.
When I last taught this course in fall 2023, I saw glimpses of a post-Imran generation, a large pocketful of students disenchanted by his promises of a Naya Pakistan. This time, however, the sentiment against all politicians, including Imran, is more pronounced. That disenchantment isn’t just limited to politicians. For example, we reviewed an old poll about Pakistanis’ trust in institutions where the army and Supreme Court ranked at the top and the class said they doubted this would hold true today. The media fared poorly then and now.
“It’s because the media only shows negativity,” one girl said.
Were they up for the task of changing?
In a bid for them to understand how the news works, I ask them to create the front page of a newspaper. It is always their first assignment. If we’re so bad in the news media, how would you do it differently? The goal is simple: your front page must inform audiences of news you deem important. Students have to choose five stories for their paper’s front page. They do it as individuals and then, in the next class, in small groups where they inevitably differ among themselves on which stories to place. It is a really good introduction to news value and judgement. Later in the class, we revisit the exercise but this time with the intent to sell newspapers.
If we’re so bad in the news media, how would you do it differently?
It’s a fun exercise because we learn there is no one-size-fits all editorial judgement. Their responses are always full of surprises and tell you a lot about what they’re thinking, where they’re coming from, and about their — and their family’s — habits. As the years pass, I’m encountering more students whose families do not subscribe to newspapers unless they have grandparents; parents, too, consume news on mobile devices. Almost everyone’s family still watches the news on TV but it’s no longer the only source of information. TV for breaking news followed by YouTube for analysis. My students do not watch news on TV though they may come across it on their feeds.
It is against this backdrop that I felt hopeful about their front pages. Many ran with Imran’s conviction as their top story, but they explained they had to do so because audiences had to be informed. Several students ran the devastating story about the seven-year-old boy’s body discovered in an underground water tanker in Karachi as their top story. This, they defended, was more important than everything else. The violence in Kurram and stories about the economy figured in their lists too. Only one student had a story about Balochistan and he said he specifically chose it because the province was ignored. An equally important story, by their standards, was PIA apologising for their ad about resumption of flights to Paris.
Each student chose at least one, if not more, story that showcased empathy for the vulnerable, which included the environment. Almost everyone had the resurgence of Covid in their top three stories. I’d forgotten just how impacted this group was by the pandemic. Finally, they each chose a story that represented hope or something positive, something to feel good about, as they said. One student was horrified when I said one motorcyclist’s death on Karachi’s Sharea Faisal did not qualify as important; they said my desensitisation was the problem. Sometimes you have to take a stand, another said. Their assignments showed they were standing up for the voiceless.
When I pointed out they were more political than they claimed, more aware about their surroundings than they admitted, I felt there was a collective nod. I’m sad how politics has been reduced, in their minds, to the content on our prime time shows, which they don’t even watch.
Of course, this is not representative of an entire generation. As I stated up front, these are observations of a small urban group, whose families are relatively well-to-do; they are aware of their privilege and access to power. They know right from wrong but they do not trust the media to help inform them. Many told me they’ve signed up for my class because they want to understand how the media works and I hope they will teach me how it can work effectively. We need this generation to shape our future.
X: *LedeingLady*
Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2025
I AM back in the classroom, teaching a news media literacy course at a university, and after two classes, I feel hopeful. Since I began teaching journalism and news media courses eight years ago, there are many changes I’ve been happy to see: more women enrolling in the degree or class. They are always smarter (sorry guys) and more inquisitive, but also sadly, more reluctant to join the news industry.
There are other observations I’d like to share, which I hope will help news media managers and owners with audience insight.
When I last taught this course in fall 2023, I saw glimpses of a post-Imran generation, a large pocketful of students disenchanted by his promises of a Naya Pakistan. This time, however, the sentiment against all politicians, including Imran, is more pronounced. That disenchantment isn’t just limited to politicians. For example, we reviewed an old poll about Pakistanis’ trust in institutions where the army and Supreme Court ranked at the top and the class said they doubted this would hold true today. The media fared poorly then and now.
“It’s because the media only shows negativity,” one girl said.
Were they up for the task of changing?
In a bid for them to understand how the news works, I ask them to create the front page of a newspaper. It is always their first assignment. If we’re so bad in the news media, how would you do it differently? The goal is simple: your front page must inform audiences of news you deem important. Students have to choose five stories for their paper’s front page. They do it as individuals and then, in the next class, in small groups where they inevitably differ among themselves on which stories to place. It is a really good introduction to news value and judgement. Later in the class, we revisit the exercise but this time with the intent to sell newspapers.
If we’re so bad in the news media, how would you do it differently?
It’s a fun exercise because we learn there is no one-size-fits all editorial judgement. Their responses are always full of surprises and tell you a lot about what they’re thinking, where they’re coming from, and about their — and their family’s — habits. As the years pass, I’m encountering more students whose families do not subscribe to newspapers unless they have grandparents; parents, too, consume news on mobile devices. Almost everyone’s family still watches the news on TV but it’s no longer the only source of information. TV for breaking news followed by YouTube for analysis. My students do not watch news on TV though they may come across it on their feeds.
It is against this backdrop that I felt hopeful about their front pages. Many ran with Imran’s conviction as their top story, but they explained they had to do so because audiences had to be informed. Several students ran the devastating story about the seven-year-old boy’s body discovered in an underground water tanker in Karachi as their top story. This, they defended, was more important than everything else. The violence in Kurram and stories about the economy figured in their lists too. Only one student had a story about Balochistan and he said he specifically chose it because the province was ignored. An equally important story, by their standards, was PIA apologising for their ad about resumption of flights to Paris.
Each student chose at least one, if not more, story that showcased empathy for the vulnerable, which included the environment. Almost everyone had the resurgence of Covid in their top three stories. I’d forgotten just how impacted this group was by the pandemic. Finally, they each chose a story that represented hope or something positive, something to feel good about, as they said. One student was horrified when I said one motorcyclist’s death on Karachi’s Sharea Faisal did not qualify as important; they said my desensitisation was the problem. Sometimes you have to take a stand, another said. Their assignments showed they were standing up for the voiceless.
When I pointed out they were more political than they claimed, more aware about their surroundings than they admitted, I felt there was a collective nod. I’m sad how politics has been reduced, in their minds, to the content on our prime time shows, which they don’t even watch.
Of course, this is not representative of an entire generation. As I stated up front, these are observations of a small urban group, whose families are relatively well-to-do; they are aware of their privilege and access to power. They know right from wrong but they do not trust the media to help inform them. Many told me they’ve signed up for my class because they want to understand how the media works and I hope they will teach me how it can work effectively. We need this generation to shape our future.
X: *LedeingLady*
Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2025
The writer is the author of Pakistan: Clash of Ideas, Aks Publications 2024.
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